✨Bonjour!✨
Did you enjoy your weekend? It has been gloomy for almost two weeks now here in Cebu, Philippines. It's typhoon season, so this ain't new for us. I'm just so grateful to spend the entire weekend with my boyfriend, who kept me warm, safe, and relaxed the entire time we were together! I can only wish to spend all weekends with him.🤗🥰 Now you have an idea how clingy I can be! haha 😂
Well, let's get to today's business, shall we?
I've been intentionally building the anticipation that you can get only from climbing Mt. Pulag. Telling you what had happened directly in one post won't be a good idea as it destroys the joy in waiting. So here I am in Part 2 of My Solo Adventure to Mt. Pulag. If you missed Part 1, you can click here.
A Step Closer to Pulag
After roughly an hour of jeepney ride from Ambuklao Dam, we finally reached the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Office for the registration and orientation. Since Pulag is a National Park, all who wish to climb should register, listen to a short orientation, get a permit to climb, and pay all necessary environmental and climbing fees/dues. You can't climb the highly regarded Mt. Pulag without going through the procedures laid out by DENR and the local government units (LGUs).
Pre-pandemic, Mt. Pulag used to be bombarded by both local and international tourists on weekends. It will always be trending in Social Media especially during summer. Perhaps this is the reason why DENR set a limit to the number of tourists allowed to climb per day. DENR also gets to assign where each group of climbers will be watching the famous Sea of Clouds in Mt. Pulag at sunrise.
When we arrived at the DENR office, we had to wait for roughly three freaking hours just to have a schedule for orientation, pay all necessary dues and secure our climbing permit which our guides will show to the Ranger Station in Kabayan, Benguet. The only photo I managed to save doesn't even represent 30% of the total tourists that day. I heard there were climbers who came in late and sadly couldn't secure slots for that weekend. They could wait for Monday to climb tho.
And finally, at 12:30 noon our group, together with other groups, was called inside the DENR office for a short orientation. During the orientation, DENR highlighted the Dos and Don'ts when climbing Mt. Pulag. Although it was annoying to wait for at least three (3) hours just to secure our permit, it made me happy because this is an indication that Mt. Pulag is in good hands. It's just that DENR and the LGU have so much to improve in their processes to make things faster and easier for the tourists.
It was almost 2 PM when we arrived at our homestay. This simple home, with one of the most incredible views of Benguet, will be our home for the next 24 hours. We were welcomed with homecooked lunch serve on this very long table that accommodated every single one of us. It felt like eating with my extended family back home.
An Invitation to Wander
Then Chi and Adrian, our guides, invited us for a quick walk to Babalak Ranger Station (Kabayan, Benguet). I honestly don't know why Chi and Adrian had to go there. I guess they had to inform the Ranger Station that we will be climbing at dawn. Nonetheless, a few of us joined Chi and Adrian while the rest opted to stay behind at our homestay.
But as for the rest of us, we were up for all kinds of adventures. It was an uphill walk to the Ranger Station. Chi and Adrian had to walk fast to reach the Ranger Station. They told us that we can just walk and follow the paved road and it will just take us to the Ranger Station in no time.
We just had one of the best lunches in our lifetimes and it gave us the energy we needed for the rest of the day. We had the entire afternoon to roam around and see what else this far-flung community up in the mountain of Benguet can offer to us aside from Mt. Pulag.
And not long after following the paved road, we felt we were brought to a different dimension. I personally felt like I'm a few hundred meters away from heaven.
And this chill walk was even made more exciting with all these strangers. I can clearly remember that this chill afternoon walk brought every one of us closer as a group. As we walked farther and farther, we exchanged names/nicknames, addresses, work, and jokes.
We took few stops every now and then to take pictures. It was also their first time here. I'm not so sure if they were amazed by what they saw up there but the Cebuanos were extremely delighted by this place. Ebib and Bryan took turns in using my GoPro to take souvenir photos of that afternoon's unexpected stroll. ❤️
And another group photo. If you look at us, you'd probably not see a hint of us meeting for the first time. I could clearly remember how serene the place was but our voices (especially Kevin's) could reach Baguio which is a 3-4 hours drive away. Haha! Is this an innate characteristic of Filipinos?
Then after tons of jokes and a few meters, we conquered a small hill. It felt like we were practicing for the main event the following day. Up the hill, this view told us we were right for saying yes to Chi and Adrian's invitation. This view reminded me of my dreams to settle where I can live 100 years or so. With a lot of stressors in the Big Cities, this dream of mine is difficult to realize.
I'm sure Ma won't allow her youngest to live miles and miles away from home so taking photos that I can show to her to convince her, was the only thing I can do at that moment. Can you see that paved road at my back? We're at the foot of Pulag but look at the cemented road! It looks better than the ones in our barangay. Let's stop here before this post could sound political. Haha! 😜
The Ranger Station
And just like that, we reached the Ranger Station that outshined everything near it for its choice of paint color! Just look at the photo and you'll get what I am talking about. 🤣
This selfie was one of the first photos I took using my new phone. My company issued a new phone to me in January 2019 but I waited for another month because I wanted the first photos of my new phone to be meaningful. And nothing's probably more meaningful to me that time than taking a big leap to do this solo travel to Pulag and Central Luzon.
Filipinos love to eat. We eat anything, anywhere. This explained why there were a number of food stalls in the Ranger Station selling all types of snacks, fresh vegetables and even meals.
What caught my attention are the food products made from carrots. I love carrots when they're mixed in dishes but it felt uncanny to see ice candy, juice, and other snacks made from carrots. It didn't look inviting to me. On the other hand, Ebib and Caleb wanted to try the carrot ice candy so I just took a photo of them enjoying their choice of afternoon snacks.
Through this short walk, we were able to appreciate more how simple yet fulfilling it is to live in a neighborhood at the foot of Mt. Pulag. It ignited the dream to leave the city and spend the remaining days of my life in simplicity, bliss, and peace. One day, one day! ❤️
That's it for Part 2! I hope I was able to bring you to Benguet through this post. I'm not sure if I brought justice to how beautiful this place is.
We will be revisiting more of this place in my next travel blogs. So I hope you stay tuned! 😊
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